Enclosed water turbine power generation

[Dshaff]

TL;DR Summary

Question for all the smart folks out here. Ive been thinking about creating a fully enclosed power generation system for a home. The idea is to hook up a water pump (say 90gpm flow) run pvc up and then back down to a water turbine, with the exiting water going directly back to the pump. In essence the thought would be to constantly create power to a home. The question is this: is this feasible, and if so why isn't everybody doing it?

In theory or at least in my head, it seems simple enough to me. A simple water pump, such as a pool pump pushes water through a pipe into a water turbine and recycles the water directly back to the pump. With some of the hydrogenerators I've seen out there, they produce far more power than the pump would use creating the additional free power to run a home. Surely i can't be the first person to think of this, so what's the flaw? It seems like something like this could be scalable to many sizes and electrical outputs, for me I am just thinking about running a home and a shop.

 

[berkeman]

Welcome to the PF.

What you are describing is a classic Perpetual Motion Machine (PMM). We don't discuss or debunk them here on the PF, since they are already addressed well by many other websites. Here are some links for your reading pleasure. This thread is closed.

Perpetual motion and "free energy" discussions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_motion
http://www.skepdic.com/freeenergy.html
http://www.skepdic.com/perpetual.html

 

[AlexTheParticle]

It's great that you're thinking about alternative energy sources for your home and shop, but there are a few flaws in your idea.

Firstly, the efficiency of converting water power into electricity is not as simple as just using a water pump and turbine. There are many factors that affect the efficiency, such as the design of the turbine, the flow rate of the water, and the quality of the components used. It's not as simple as just hooking up a pump and turbine and expecting to generate enough power for your needs.

Secondly, even if you were able to create a system that could generate more power than it uses, it would still require a significant initial investment to set up. The cost of the pump, turbine, and other necessary components would likely be quite high, and it would take a long time to recoup that cost through the free power generated.

Additionally, there are practical limitations to consider. Depending on where you live, you may not have a reliable source of flowing water to power the system. Even if you do, the weather and other environmental factors can affect the flow rate and the amount of power generated.

Lastly, there are safety concerns to consider. Working with water and electricity can be dangerous, and it's important to make sure that any system you set up is properly designed and installed to prevent accidents.

Overall, while your idea may have some potential, there are many factors to consider and it may not be as simple or cost-effective as you initially thought. It's always a good idea to do thorough research and consult with experts before attempting to create a system like this.